Commonly used techniques for splitter/combiner realizations are Wilkinson (resistive, impedance matching transformer section of RF transmission line such as coaxial line, microstrip, stripline etc in various configurations), reactive and hybrid. In applications where high volume, high power, low insertion loss, and low-cost component production is desirable, realizing an N-way power splitter/combiner is difficult and expensive, requiring the use of circuits assembled from multiple substrate layers and/or the use of discrete resistors rather than printed or etched resistors. These costs and difficulties have limited the usefulness of N-way power dividers.
The present invention solves these and other problems by providing a passive power splitter/combiner as a combination of microstrip traces and coaxial cable, resulting in substantially reduced insertion loss, low manufacturing cost, faster assembly time, high reliability, and high repeatability with no power consumption.